THE family of boy who died from an allergic reaction after eating spaghetti in Italy have revealed their heartache.
Cameron Wahid, 7, suffered a severe anaphylactic shock from eating the pasta dish made with milk at a restaurant.
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Cameron Wahid died after eating a pasta dish made with milk Credit: SWNS 2
The seven-year-old was on holiday in Italy
And his family have since opened up about the tragedy, saying it was the "worst day of their lives".
The schoolboy had been spending half-term with mum Cassandra and dad Rizwan, both 43, and little brother Aidan in the town of Ravello on the Amalfi Coast of Italy in October 2015.
Restaurant staff were warned about their boy's severe allergies - told he could not have any cheese or dairy products.
But the waitress did not understand their request and assured them the dish was safe.
A few minutes after getting back on their tour bus with other British tourists, Cameron went into shock before suffering a cardiac arrest in the main square.
Mrs Wahid, who works as a nurse, managed to give her son an EpiPen, but it was too late, and the schoolboy died three days later on October 30, 2015, in a hospital around 35 miles away in Naples.
And dad Mr Wahid has now spoken of the family's heartache, saying: "Cameron's allergy had always been severe, but we were so careful with him and scrupulous with what he ate.
"Prior to his allergic reaction, we were assured by the waiting staff that the food was safe for him.
"To see him going into anaphylactic shock and suffering like that was undoubtedly the worst experience of our lives.
"He was such a lovely little boy, and always brightened up our days.
"We feel his death was avoidable and we are still struggling to come to terms with him not being here anymore.”
He was such a lovely little boy, and always brightened up our days
Cameron's dad Rizwan
After his tragic death, the family went on to fight a long legal battle against the La Margherita Villa Giuseppina restaurant.
Waitress Ester Di Lascio was found guilty of culpable manslaughter by an Italian court in 2019.
She did not properly highlight the possible allergic reactions caused by ingredients in dishes on the restaurant's menu, the court found.
The pasta Cameron ate was served with a tomato sauce that had been prepared with milk by chef Luigi Cioffi, who was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
The family from East Grinstead in West Sussex were awarded ￡288,000 compensation by a court.
Cameron's parents are now calling for lessons to be learned from his death and want to raise awareness of the seriousness of allergies.
What is a milk allergy?
Reaction to dairy products, known as cows' milk protein allergy (CMA), affects between two and 7.5 per cent of kids under the age of one.
As a parent, you will probably spot the signs when you first introduce milk into your child's diet - which could be through their baby formula.
In rare cases, babies who are exclusively breastfed can also develop the allergy - because of cow's milk from their mother's diet.
There are two types of reaction - immediate CMA, which happens within minutes of having milk products, and delayed CMA, which takes hours or even days to develop.
Most affected kids grow out of their dairy allergy by the age of five.
An immediate reaction, swelling in the mouth or throat, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and difficult or noisy breathing could all be signs of anaphylaxis.
Anaphylactic shock is a medical emergency - and can be fatal. Call 999 or go immediately to your local A&E department.
And dad Mr Wahid said the family used the criminal trial process in Italy to ensure that justice was obtained for Cameron “which we have done”.
"We know nothing will bring him back, but we want to help stop others from suffering the pain we continue to feel.
"People need to know how serious allergies can be, and we will continue to work in raising much-needed awareness.
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He has since started working as an ambassador with Allergy UK, the UK's leading charity providing support to people with allergies.
The family have been represented by Daniel Matchett, a specialist international serious injury lawyer at firm Irwin Mitchel.
"The past few years have been incredibly difficult for Cameron's family, after having to see him die from an allergic reaction which could and should have been prevented,” he said.